Written Answers Monday 22 December 2008

Scottish Executive

British Sign Language

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it routinely translates Scottish Government information into British Sign Language.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of making information accessible to British Sign Language (BSL) users. We routinely provide BSL interpreters for meetings if BSL users will be present, and we consider providing BSL DVD translations of publications where appropriate, or if it is not appropriate, ensure that the relevant information is communicated to BSL users in a suitable way.

Lone Parents

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) applied for and (b) received a Lone Parent’s Grant in each of the last three years.

Fiona Hyslop: Information on the number of students who applied for Lone Parent’s Grant and Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant is not held centrally.

  The following table shows the number of higher education students who received Lone Parent’s Grant and the number receiving Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) in academic years 2005-06 to 2007-08. These figures are published, for academic years 2002-03 to 2007-08, in Higher Education Student Support in Scotland 2007-08:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/11/21111027/0.

  

 Academic Year
 Number of Students Receiving Lone Parent’s Grant
 Number of Students Receiving Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant


 2005-06
 3,230
 1,450


 2006-07
 3,025
 1,415


 2007-08
 2,920
 1,375



  Notes:

  Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

  Student numbers have been rounded up or down to the nearest five (e.g. one, two round down to zero, three, four round up to five).

  Lone Parent’s Grant is available on an income assessed basis to students who are single, widowed, divorced or no longer living with a partner and are bringing up children. An additional grant, Lone Parent’s Childcare Grant, is available to recipients of Lone Parent’s Grant who have to pay for registered or formal child care.

Non-Domestic Rates

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been successfully prosecuted for non-payment of business rates in each of the last 24 months.

Frank Mulholland QC: There can be no prosecutions for simple non-payment of non-domestic rates, since it is a civil matter.